Xiaomi’s best smartphone is in Malaysia for less than MYR2,000

In the world of notched displays and generic-looking smartphones, one device stands out – the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S. The head-turning concept phone turned real deal is now in its third iteration, and it’s the best one yet. Announced in China at the end of March this year, it’s launching in Malaysia on 1 June, with prices starting from just MYR1,999.

Designed by the renowned Philippe Starck, the original Mi MIX was a real shocker to world, albeit a sweet one. The one-of-its-kind concept phone introduced the near-bezel-less display to the world, sparking a trend that’s all the rage now.

Who would have thought the company that carved a cult-like following for making cheap phones could do something so out-of-the-box.

Fast forward to 2018, the Xiaomi flagship returns, more an evolution than any sort of major departure from 2017’s Mi MIX 2.

The Mi MIX 2S looks familiar to its predecessor, which is no bad thing. This means it still comes with a beautiful ceramic back and four-sided curved design that transitions seamlessly into its aluminium frame.

It’s no surprise that the Mi MIX series have won awards and recognition at major awards – IDEA, IF, red dot and Good Design, to name a few.

As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Xiaomi’s flagships tend to pack the latest hardware and the Mi MIX 2S is no different.

Internally, the device rocks the latest 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 845c chipset, the first phone in China to feature the powerful SoC. The chip boasts a maximum clock speed of 2.8GHz and eight Kryo 385 cores. This is mated to the new Adreno 630 CPU which is 30 percent more powerful than its predecessor, while using 30 percent less power.

For the first time in the Mi MIX series, the device rocks a dual-camera system, arranged in a familiar vertical array. It isn’t just any dual-camera though.

It’s a 12MP (wide) + 12MP (telephoto) f/1.8 dual-camera system using the flagship Sony IMX363 sensor. It features large 1.4-micron pixels that delivers great low light performance. The camera also feature 4-axis OIS and dual-tone dual-LED flash.

It’s an impressive camera, not quite at the level of the Huawei P20 Pro, but good enough for DxOMark to label the device the “Chinese gem.” It scored 101 points in photo tests, with an overall score of 97, a tie with the iPhone X.

The device is available in Black, with the White variant coming at a later date. Sales start from 1 June 2018 at all Mi Stores and authorised Xiaomi retailers nationwide, as well from the official Mi Store on Lazada.